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Russ Koesterich named chief investment strategist at BlackRock; more

This week in new hires, Michael Mullis became a registered rep with Securities America; BlackRock named Russ Koesterich its new chief investment strategist; Michael Davis left EBSA for Prudential; and a milestone for Aequitas Capital, which passed 100 employees.

Also, Richard Deglman went to Foundation Bancorp; Mark Williams was named CIO at InvesTrust; and H. Thomas McMeekin joined Achaean Group’s board of directors.

Mullis left a career in public accounting to join Kelley and Associates in 1999. Now known as Kelley & Mullis Wealth Management Inc., the 25-year-old business has more than $223 million in client assets. Mullis, along with the three other advisors and three administrative employees that comprise Kelly & Mullis Wealth Management, joined Securities America from LPL Financial.

BlackRock Names Russ Koesterich Chief Investment Strategist

BlackRock, Inc. announced Monday that it has named Russ Koesterich its chief investment strategist. In this newly formed role, he will focus on communicating the firm’s investment strategy and perspective on the markets and economy to investors and financial advisors and will report to Ken Kroner, global head of multiasset strategies.

Koesterich will continue to serve as global investment strategist for BlackRock’s iShares business, a role he has held since 2010. His service with BlackRock dates to 2005, including his years with Barclays Global Investors (BGI), which BlackRock acquired in 2009. At BGI, he was global head of investment strategy for active equities and a senior portfolio manager in the U.S.market-neutral group. Prior to joining BGI, he was chief North American strategist for State Street Bank. He began his career at Instinet, where he occupied several positions in research, including director of investment strategy for both U.S. and European research.

Borzi’s Right-Hand Man, Davis, Leaves EBSA and Joins Prudential

Phyllis Borzi’s right-hand man at the Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration, Michael Davis, has left his post as deputy assistant secretary of EBSA and joined Prudential Retirement to serve as head of its stable value business.

Davis, who started his post on Monday, told AdvisorOne in an interview the same day that while it was an “extraordinary honor” to have worked with such a “high-caliber” team at EBSA, four years ago when he took his job as part of the Obama administration, “I always said it would be one term.”

Aequitas Capital has reached the milestone of 100 employees for the first time in its nearly 20-year history. Recent appointments at company headquarters include John Meek, chief technology officer, who brings more than 30 years of software technology organization leadership, including senior roles with WebMD Health Services, WellMed, Inc., and Timberline Software; and in consumer services, Ken Archambo, vice president, operations, who brings 23 years of experience in direct and indirect lending leadership, including managing a 200-person U.S. Volkswagen Credit, Inc. service center; Huntley McNabb, vice president, marketing, who brings 20 years of experience in marketing and technology services, including MedSynergies, Pegasus Solutions, TRX and Sabre; and Jason Nash, vice president, technology, who brings 17 years of information systems experience, including WebMD Health and Timberline Software.

Recent sales appointments working remotely include Los Angeles-based Ken Sundberg, vice president, who serves healthcare providers in western states and brings 20 years of financial services experience, including Horizon, Emdeon and CSI; St. Louis-based Jeff Litterst, vice president, who serves healthcare providers in midwestern states and has 20 years of healthcare industry experience, including Allscripts, McKesson, Eclipsys, Datex-Ohmeda and Solvay Pharmaceuticals; and Charlotte-based Mark Starr, vice president, who serves healthcare providers in southern states and has 22 years of sales and marketing experience, including Endeon, McKesson, HealthEZ, Morrison, Marriott Healthcare, and Arkansas Heart Hospital.

Foundation Bancorp Hires Richard Deglman as Chief Credit Officer

Foundation Bancorp, Inc., the holding company for Foundation Bank, announced that Richard Deglman has joined the company and has been named chief credit officer of Foundation Bancorp; the appointment was effective Nov. 19. In his new role, Deglman will be responsible for overseeing all credit functions at the bank.

Deglman has over 30 years of experience in various credit-related positions with West Coast-based banks. Most recently, he was executive vice president and chief credit officer for Las Vegas-based Service 1st Bank of Nevada, which he joined in 2008. Service 1st was the subsidiary of Western Liberty Bancorporation, which was acquired by Western Alliance Bancorporation last month. Deglman was in the banking industry serving in commercial real estate management and credit administrator roles both inNevadaandCaliforniaprior to that. Previously he was with Nevada State Bank, Silicon Valley Bank, Bank of America and Security Pacific Bank.

InvesTrust Names Mark Williams Chief Investment Officer

InvesTrust, part of ASC Holding, the asset and trust management subsidiary of American Fidelity Corp., announced Monday that Mark Williams has been named chief investment officer. In his new role, he will be responsible for directing the firm's investment strategy, including monitoring overall performance, developing long-range investment plans and strategies, overseeing securities investment operations and identifying market trends and opportunities.

Prior to joining, Williams was senior portfolio manager at Bank of Oklahoma. He also served as the lead portfolio manager for Central Trust and Investment Company of Columbia, Mo. Earlier, as director of research for Invista Capital Management, he created and implemented a pooled research platform for major money management firms.

H. Thomas McMeekin Joins Achaean Financial Board of Directors

Achaean Financial announced that H. Thomas McMeekin, former CIO of SunAmerica Financial Group, has joined the firm’s board of directors. In this role, he will leverage his asset management experience to accelerate the national expansion of Achaean’s variable annuity design, Income Plus+.

Prior to his role at SunAmerica Financial Group, McMeekin served as managing director at Prudential Investment Management, managing partner and founder at Griffin Investments, LLC, and executive vice president and CIO at Lincoln Financial Group.

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